As Virginia’s General Assembly prepares for its next session, we’re working to make sure fair housing has a seat at the table.

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In our daily work to ensure equal access to housing for all, again and again we find a familiar obstacle.  Well-funded housing industry lobbyists dominate policymaking, and the results tilt law toward property managers—including major investors—rather than protecting the most vulnerable.  This ensures that communities harmed by segregation and discriminatory real estate practices continue to struggle for access to quality, safe, and stable housing.  At HOME of VA, we believe this status quo needs to change.

During the 2025 General Assembly session, we will call on state lawmakers to back policy solutions that ensure equal access to housing, support hardworking families struggling to remain housed, and preserve and expand affordable housing.

These needs are at once urgent and non-partisan—we all seek and deserve fair, stable, and affordable housing.  After all, housing is a human right.  But the powerful voices of industry lobbyists remind us that we will need courageous leadership from our state delegates and senators to make this principle a reality for all Virginians.

HOME of VA will support the passage of 11 bills during the 2025 General Assembly session.  Fellow advocates in the recently expanded coalition, Allies for Housing Action, will join us in advancing several of these proposals.  Together and in partnership with communities most affected by housing injustice, we will seek new laws that promote fair, stable, and affordable housing.

 

Fair housing

• • Stop Discrimination Based on Eviction Cases Tenants Won (SB815)
    Patrons – Delegate Phil Hernandez and Senator Aaron Rouse

    Virginians are routinely denied housing simply for having an eviction filed against them — even if they won the case or the landlord later withdrew the suit. Legislation should remove this barrier and make it illegal to deny a person housing due to a dismissed or nonsuited eviction case.

 

• • Establish a Task Force on Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity
    Patron – Delegate Destiny LeVere Bolling

    Racial bias is commonplace in home appraisals – and this widens the racial wealth gap. Reduced home equity limits financing for repairs and other upkeep, which trims value from a sale.  And it restricts funds available for investments like education and starting a business.  With the appraisal industry largely governing itself – and only two percent of appraisers identifying as Black – homeowners of color are vulnerable.  We call for a task force to explore policy solutions, including: removing barriers to diversify the appraisal profession, tools to reduce or eliminate bias in home valuation, stronger government oversight and industry standards, and a model for recalculating dubious home valuations.

 

• Strengthen Fair Housing Training Requirements for Appraisers
  Patron – Delegate Alex Askew

  Improved training of appraisers can break down appraisal bias.  By requiring education in fair housing laws – instruction that is provided or approved by fair housing experts – as a means of obtaining and maintaining an appraisal license, Virginia can address a key cause of bias in the housing market.  Few states currently take this stand for housing equality: Virginia could be a leader.

 

Stable housing

• • Give Families Time to Pay Rent and Stay Housed (SB812)
    Patrons – Delegate Cia Price and Senator Aaron Rouse

    Virginia law allows landlords to evict tenants when past-due rent is just five days late. This unreasonably short span makes it impossible for most households to collect a new paycheck or rental assistance. This bill would extend the deadline to 14 days, enabling families to pay what they owe and remain in their homes.

 

• • Let Tenants Sue Slumlords for Unsafe Conditions
    Patron – Delegate Rae Cousins

    Under Virginia law, renters are barred from suing landlords over unsafe living conditions if they are past-due on rent – even if they have withheld payments due to landlord neglect.  This bill would empower renters to seek justice in these situations and hold landlords accountable.

 

• • Give Localities the Power to Stop Rent Gouging
    Patrons – Delegate Nadarius Clark and Senator Jennifer Boysko

    Rent gouging – raising rent higher than inflation – has grown commonplace as corporate landlords squeeze affordability and stifle competition. Low-income renters, especially tenants of color and female-headed households, pay the biggest price: evictions and displacement hit these groups hardest.  This bill will empower local governments to develop common-sense anti-rent gouging policies that fit their local contexts.  By preventing extreme rent hikes, localities can strengthen economic prosperity, diverse neighborhoods, and healthy communities.

 

• • Enable Property Tax Relief for Low-Income Homeowners
    Patrons – Delegate Betsy Carr and Senator Ghazala Hashmi

    As home prices rise, real estate taxes are surging statewide – and many localities would like to offer property tax relief to low-income homeowners at risk of being priced-out.  But the Virginia Constitution restricts the right of local governments to grant this type of tax break – and so, it must be amended.  That process starts with this bill, the first step toward tax fairness enabling families to maintain their homes now and for future generations.

 

• Fix Existing Property Tax Relief Programs for Elderly and Disabled Homeowners (SB816)
  Patrons – Delegate Phil Hernandez and Senator Aaron Rouse

  One of the few tools available to localities seeking to lower real estate taxes for vulnerable groups are programs for elderly homeowners or those with permanent disabilities.  But many Virginians are barred from these opportunities if they have fallen behind on their property taxes.  This bill would allow homeowners with past-due taxes to take part in these programs if they otherwise qualify, enable localities to offer payment plans for back taxes, and require local governments to conduct robust outreach to ensure residents are aware of these supports.

 

Affordable housing

• • Statewide Zoning for Mission-Driven Housing
    Patron – Delegate Josh Cole

    Virginia faces a severe housing shortage that stifles our economy and the prosperity of our communities.  Many faith-based organizations and property tax-exempt nonprofits want to help by constructing affordable housing on land they own.  But local zoning laws too often keep this solution out of reach.  This bill will remove the uncertainty and significant expense of rezoning, and thus unlock thousands of acres of Virginia land for affordable housing.

 

• • Housing Near Jobs
    Patron – Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg

    Our housing need is greatest in high-opportunity job centers, where high housing costs leave families with too-little money for necessities like food, medicine, and transportation.  This bill will legalize housing construction in office, commercial, and retail spaces – zones already developed and well-traveled, where vast majorities people say they support building new homes.

 

• Legalize Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
  Patron – Senator Saddam Salim

  Many homeowners want to be part of the solution to our housing crisis by building small, low-cost units on their property – structures known as accessory dwelling units (ADUs), in-law suites, or granny flats.  But often, local zoning laws makes this impossible.  This bill will enable homeowners to construct ADUs in their backyards, side yards, or within their existing homes, opening up wealth-building opportunities and enabling intergenerational living while extending access to housing in high-opportunity neighborhoods.

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